


Pancakes

by SpiralSpace



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 21:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiralSpace/pseuds/SpiralSpace
Summary: Because "a shitty childhood" is basically the free space on the RWBY character bingo card.





	Pancakes

The bushes rustled, then divulged a scrawny, tired-looking boy. “I think we’ve come far enough,” he said to the shorter, even scrawnier girl hiding behind him. “We can probably cut back onto the main road now.”

“Are you sure, Ren?” Nora asked. “It’d be bad if one of those monsters saw us in the open. I usually stay off the roads…”

“There are no monsters on this road, Nora. I take it every year with my parents. And father says… said, that Grimm only come where people have wickedness in their hearts.”

Nora mumbled sullenly, “Sounds fake, but okay.”

Ren continued, “Plus, what if we get lost? The road east goes straight to Mistral, I think.”

“Wait, what?!?” the red-haired urchin yelled. “I just spent a week walking her from Mistral. The people there are even meaner than here. I mean, yeah, it’s hard to find a village that lets you stick around more than a week, but at least the grown-ups never beat me up in Koro-whatsit. Kuruyara? Komoyumi?”

“Kuroyuri!” Ren snapped. “It was called Kuroyuri. And I’ve got an uncle in Mistral.”

“So you think he’ll give you money?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping he’d take us in. But what other options do we have?”

Nora looked at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve got nowhere else to go. What are we going to eat? Where are we going to sleep?”

Ren was too tied up in his feelings to notice Nora doing an admirable job not rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Well, I don’t see what’s wrong with going to the next village,” she said, “but Mistral does sound like the best plan.” As she stepped out onto the path, however, she suddenly froze. “There’s someone out there.” she whispered.

Ren whipped around. Down the road a short ways was a bundled figure, sleeping next to a campfire.

His stomach grumbled. They hadn’t managed to pack anything at all when they’d fled his village. “My mother said not to talk to strangers, but maybe he can help,” he said hesitantly.

“We shouldn’t risk it,” his tagalong replied instantly. “What if he’s a bandit?”

“If it’s going to be a week to Mistral, we need something to eat though.”

“He’s out cold, I’ll just take his food and then we can sneak around.”

Ren gasped. “But that’s stealing!”

“I’m not going to take all of it. They usually don’t come looking for you if you don’t. And besides, we’re kids, we need it more than he does.”

“I thought they were making it up,” Ren muttered, “but it’s true, isn’t it? You’re a thief.” His eyes widened. “That’s why the monsters came to Kuroyuri, right after you did. They were following you!”

Nora wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“Give me back the dagger,” he snapped.

“What?”

“My father’s dagger, give it back. We promised to keep each other safe, and I will not face the danger of your crimes. I'll make my own way to my uncle's.”

Still staring at the dirt, she took the dagger from her jacket and held it out to him, handle out. He grabbed it, and walked away.

-

Ren came to a clearing. In the centre was a lonesome tree. He noticed a nest among the branches. Hungry as he was, even raw bird eggs were tempting. It looked like an easy enough climb as well, so he hauled himself up onto a branch, and then further.

But just as he was about to look into the nest, the bushes rustled. Had Nora followed him? No, the rustling grew louder, and a Beowulf emerged. On all fours, it sniffed at the ground, and Ren held tight to the branch, grasping his father’s dagger in his other hand. Despite everything, he hoped that Nora would give it the slip.

But it didn’t wander onwards, as he had expected. Instead, it drifted closer, still scenting. The monster seemed perplexed when it reached the trunk of the tree. Ren almost gasped. The Grimm hadn’t smelled Nora, he realized. It was following HIM. His anger, his cruelty, his suspicion and grief. 

He was barely three feet above it, easily in reach of its clawed limbs, and if he moved, it would hear. Any second now, the Beowulf would look up and…

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHG!” Nora screamed as she charged, stick held high. She swung, and it bounced harmlessly off the back of her opponent’s head. But even as it turned to roar at her, she swung again. Without thinking, Ren let go of the branch. He landed on it’s back, and stabbed it in the neck. It twisted, trying to claw at him. Nora wound up, putting everything she had into her third swing, striking the beast in the stomach. It doubled over, but Ren held on, stabbing it in the back again and again.

Eventually, the Grimm went limp, and Ren fell to the ground as the pelt under him turned to smoke. He landed hard, throwing up a puff of dust.

Nora reached out her hand to the boy on the ground. He grabbed it, and she helped him up. “Why did you… come back?” he wheezed.

“Well I figured that even if you don’t like me, we’re still kinda screwed without each other, right? Worth checking if you’d changed your mind.”

“No, I mean… I said all those awful things. Why didn’t you let it eat me?”

“Heh, I’ve heard worse. And I still owe you for that time you saved me. Plus words are just *bleh*, it’s the stuff ya actually follow through on that matters. You didn’t have to save me again either.”

Ren frowned. “I don't know. Words are a thing that you do, are they not?”

“Anyway I checked out that strange guy and he’s hella dead. So I’m just going to go grab his stuff.” She looked Ren in the eyes. “If that’s okay?”

“I- I guess so…” Ren replied hesitantly. It’s not like he’d be using it anymore, so it was okay, right?

-

The traveler was indeed, hella dead. He was lying peacefully, on his side, but the bedroll under him was totally drenched with wet blood, and his back was covered with deep gashes from a Grimm’s claws, or less likely, a bear’s.

His large pack was undisturbed. Ren watched Nora empty it. “Flour, butter, milk, salt. Awww, this is all ingredients!” she said. “What kinda merchant carries milk like this anyway? I bet he was a bandit…” She opened the bottle and gave it a sniff. Satisfied, she added it to the keep pile, and frowned. “I mean milk’s not so bad. And flour's better than nothing. But still, I was hoping he’d have some actual food on him.”

“We have a fire. Can’t we just make some food?”

Nora was surprised. “Wait, you know how to cook?”

“I guess so? Baking is very simple.”

“No it isn’t,” the girl muttered. Ren ignored her, focusing on the pile in front of him, and the modest collection of cookware that had been left beside the campfire.

“Hmm, with this, I could make… pancakes???”

Nora beamed.

**Author's Note:**

> An origin story for a breakfast.


End file.
